Love Me Low [pH] & Gently: Make P:rem Safe Me Cleanser Review

Monday, 19 February 2018

You know what I should be doing daily? Washing my face with something other than puppy slobber and the occasional half-hearted swipe of BHA exfoliant on a cotton square. Somehow, though, that hasn't quite always worked out as I planned, much like my plans to raise a perfectly trained, polite dog that doesn't jump on people's faces to greet them and isn't plotting diabolical schemes to procure bits of steak on demand.

That had quite a bit to do with why I'm reviewing the Make P:rem Safe Me Relief Moisture Cleansing Foam, but I'll get to that shortly.

Sure it says it's pH 5.5, but is it really? We've been mislead and our wallets waylaid before.

As it turns out, puppy slobber can be pretty irritating, or perhaps it's just the combination of noncon puppy tongue baths + the winter elements when it's 11pm and -18C** and you're outside huddled in your jacket chanting "go potty, go potty" like some sort of scatologically-obsessed cult member. Wind chapping is no joke, I'd almost forgotten what real winter weather is like after a decade outside Canada.

It turns out that skin savaged by winter like the twitterstorm that obliterated that article about the "skincare con", isn't thrilled about the application of products. Especially cleansers (even low pH ones) gamely trying to strip the last remnants of lubrication out of your moisture barrier.

While digging through my stash (much like my dog in our doomed garden, except with less mud and no eating of unknown objects) I realized I had a full tube of the Make P:rem Safe Me Relieving Moisture foaming cleanser waiting to be used. I had bought the full size after going through several sample sachets, and remembered liking its gentle, mild foam. It's also low pH (as proclaimed proudly on the packaging) and into my bathroom it went, standing like a lone, forlorn soldier against the tide of unholy bacteria no doubt marching across my face.

In this post:

Product details

Ingredients

Does it foam, though?

Cleansing demo

Overall thoughts

I suppose not everyone is as concerned with the qualifications and performance of their cleansers as I am, but everyone's got their kinks. Mine is for low pH cleansers that snuggle my skin's horny layer with soft suds and sultry scents, and I'm not ashamed. Let's roll!

Just as a quick reminder: this blog uses both affiliate and non-affiliate links, and if you choose to click the former before you shop, your purchase may contribute a tiny amount to the maintenance of this blog. See full details at the end of this post! #receipts

The most basic question out of the way first: is it low pH? Indeed it is.

Low pH is a lot like good bathing habits; it's not enough to impress me, but if it's absent I'm not even agreeing to the first date.

Mmmm, that's a mighty fine pH you've got there, Make P:rem.

Product details

Full product name: Make P:rem Safe Me Relief Moisture Cleansing FoamPurpose: A foaming cleanser, specifically "low-irritant" and low pH.Scent: Pleasant but noticeable. Herbal with a bit of florals thrown in and a hint of something lemony, nothing that makes my nose hairs recoil in horror.Texture: A thick cream/paste that lathers into a soft, loose, small-bubble foam when agitated with water.pH result: Right where it should be, pH 5.5, tested both neat and foamed with water.Quantity: 150g, which is plenty when you consider how little raw product you need.Rating: 4.5/5; it doesn't whisk me away to a sexy Hanbang forest and overwhelm my senses until my toes curl up in the rich loam of the earth (say, the way the original Sulwhasoo Snowise EX Cleansing Foam did) but I like it a lot.Where to get it:Amazon | eBay | TesterKoreaRepurchase: For sure, it's a bit pricey at $15-$18 USD, but I use so little of it at a time that it lasts ages. I bought mine in a combo pack with a sunscreen, iirc, so it worked out to about $15.

Ingredients

You can find the Cosdna entry here. A quick skim of the ingredients showed me nothing crazy, a few plant extracts, some citrus oil (ah, there's the lemon-ish scent) of bergamot, which gave me only a brief pause. Bergamot is one of those essential oils on the "may cause photosensitivity" hit list, but since 1. it's likely being used in trace amounts for fragrance, and 2. this is a cleanser that you immediately rinse off, I'm not at all worried about it.

I've also read that bergamot oil can be processed in a way that avoids the phototoxicity element, but of course there's no way to know if that's the case here.

That's a surprisingly clean ingredients list for a cleanser.

Noticeably absent are SLS and SLES, which is great news for those of you out there who are trying to dodge those common trigger culprits. (Low pH and SLS/SLES free is a pretty sweet combo.)

Does it foam, though?

Living the low pH life can be really dull. Skincare needs to be exciting for me to stay metaphorically erect enough to do it, especially when I'm tired, depressed, or there's a tiny four-footed demon looking for something destroy during any momentary lapse of vigilance.

It won't create giant springy clouds of foam that you can literally shove your face into (R.I.P my beloved Perfect Whip, you beautiful acid-mantle destroyer) but the Make P:rem Safe Me Relief Moisture foam cleanser has a bit more confidence in the foam department than some of its low-pH brethern.

Konjac sponge method

Let's face it, squishing up some foam with a konjac is almost fun.

This is the method I actually use, because it's 1. the fastest, 2. the least messy, and 3. the laziest, giving me decent foam in a matter of seconds with a few squishes of the sponge.

Hand lather method

Not pictured: the drips all over the floor as I worked up even this minimal amount of foam.

I also use this method, but I have to use a lot more product or a lot more effort to get this level of foam. For this review, I was careful to use the same amount of product for each demo (pictured above) to make it a fair comparison, and it was a messy sudstorm to get this properly foamed up. I had to add small amounts of water at a time, vigorously lather, scoop the lather back into my palm, and repeat until it foamed.

That's not to say that I would normally go to this length; once it's mixed with water and semi-foamy, onto my face it goes. Who has time to do otherwise? I ain't spending 2-odd minutes rubbing my hands together like a B-movie villain.

Foaming net method

Handy-dandy comparison shot.

So, foaming nets. Yes, they create amazing amounts of Instagram-worthy foam, and they are almost totally impractical. Not only do you have something else you have to rinse out and hang to dry between uses, it takes a lot of time and effort to foam up without flinging bits of lather all over your sink, yourself, your mirror, the walls, and the floor.

Still, I'm amazed that the Make P:rem was actually capable of this studly foam output, even with a foaming net. (I usually just buy mine on Amazon.) I'm not going to deny that's some sexy foam, though. Rawr!

Clockwise from the tube: hand lather, konjac sponge, foaming net.

As you can see, you need a pretty minimal amount of product to get washed-face-friendly levels of foam, which means this 150g of product is probably going to outlast my next pair of socks. Actually scratch that, I have a puppy so I know it's going to outlast my next pair of socks. And underwear. And towels. And sheets ...

Cleansing demo

Right, so cleansers should clean, obviously. That being said, I'm happy to die on Double Cleansing Hill, because any foaming cleanser that can break down makeup and sunscreen and still have the mojo to get down and dirt-cleaning in my pores is going to be strong enough to strip my skin like the clothes off a hypothermia victim fished out of a frozen lake.

So this test is a bit unfair, because I don't expect (or want) my second cleanser to take off my makeup. Still a shot of bare skin followed by another shot of ... still bare skin isn't going to be much of a demonstration of its cleaning power.

I feel like this 'lip' is a pretty accurate testament to how my actual lips fare in an attempt to do a filled-in lip.

This is my usual "full face of makeup for testing" featuring mineral (aka 'inorganic') sunscreen, cushion, concealer, brow mascara, liquid eyeliner, blush, and lipstick. Note: any day that I roll out in anything more than sunscreen + a cushion + a lip tint is already topping out my effort level with makeup.

I didn't use the konjac sponge, because I didn't want to give it an unfair advantage in the scrubbing department.

Surprisingly, this cleanser did better than I expected, taking off pretty much everything but the liquid eyeliner and the sunscreen. Realistically, it's not a makeup remover and it shouldn't be treated as such. I use it as an AM cleanser, and as a second cleanser to remove the residue of the oil cleanser I used to clean off my sunscreen and makeup.

Overall thoughts

If you're looking for something to make you tingle with anticipation of cleansing your face, this isn't it, and frankly if you're looking for a low pH cleanser that does, that unicorn may always elude you.

You should be able to get 2-3 uses out of a sample size, if you can find one. I saved the last of mine for this review.

With a name like "Safe Me Relief Moisture Cleansing Foam" that slaps "pH 5.5" and "Low Irritant" right on the tube, you'd expect it to be low pH, gentle, and not contain irritating ingredients. It lives up to all those promises, and it smells pleasant besides. That's a win in my book.

Have you fallen for a low pH cleanser that doesn't get enough love? Hit me up on Facebook or Twitter and let me know!

Have something you'd like to share with me in general? Snap a pic and tag me on Instagram at @snowwhiteandtheasianpear because I'd love to see it!

All the best,

-Cat

**Disclaimer: All products I review on my blog are 100% purchased with my own money, with a single exception of a press sample I tested & reviewed in 2015 which swore me off of them forever. Personal gifts from friends & family will also be identified. This blog contains both affiliate and non-affiliate links, and clicking the former before you shop means that this blog may receive a small commission to assist in this blog supporting itself. Please see my Contact Info & Disclaimer policy for more information.

20 comments

It's so good to see you back! I was starting to worry from the way you disappeared so suddenly. I'm also glad to see that make p:rem isn't as gimmicky a brand as I'd first feared. Looks like I have something to try once my cotsco-sized cream cleanser is used up.

Thank you! ^_^ While things were not great there for a while, things are much better now.

I feel you on the Make P:rem impressions; the first product I heard about from them was that cleansing pack shower thing, which was reportedly a hot mess. Their black cleansing water was also meh, but their sunscreens have been blowing me out of the water, and now this cleanser. I hope they keep it up in the formulation department, because they are slaying.

Congratulations on your puppy! I have a pet bunny who only recently left the "puppy" phase and oh thank goodness that is over! When your pup graduates to dog, things will be so much easier. My buns has finally stopped peeing on everything. Now she only poops on everything :p

I've got lots of pictures and videos of her on my instagram: skincarebymoonlight

Glad to see you back by the way. I suffer from depression and anxiety too so I totally get the desire to pull back from the world during times of change. *hugs*

I know right! Depression should eat all the sucks. Thankfully I've been able to manage both my depression and anxiety for the last two years ish. I will always carry depression and anxiety around inside of me for the rest of my life. But! It's okay, I have lovely people in my life who support and care about me, I have done lots of helpful (and unhelpful) counselling/therapy, and my meds are the right kind at the right dose. I'm confident that you'll find (and lose and re-find) your balance in dealing with the shit sack life deals to people like us.Skincare + dick jokes are pretty good in the mean time.

In regards to the Make Pr:em Blue Ray Sunscreens that you mentioned in your last impressions post, how are they going for you?

Here are some recommendations for two all mineral sunscreens.

Chulala UV Milk SPF 50 (A Japanese all mineral sunscreen that is water resistant and apparently very cosmetically elegant as far as mineral sunscreens are concerned. @jollyhatgirl from Instagram raved about this sunscreen and she mentioned that it was one of her favorite sunscreens of 2017. Her only cons were that it was pricey and extremely hard to aquire. I made the effort recently, to ask a store for them to stock it.) Here is a link - http://www.kirei-station.com/product/1120

Etude House Sunprise Airy Mild Finish SPF 50 (I believe that you have already heard of this classic k-beauty sunscreen. It does have alcohol but I wanted to recommend it to you, incase you wanted to buy it anyway) Here's a link - http://m.beautyboxkorea.com/product/etude-house-sunprise-mild-airy-finish-spf50-pa/1140/?cate_no=24&display_group=1

The orange cap sunscreen has turned into my daily sunscreen, which has left the blue cap version a bit sorely neglected. It's still one of the best mineral sunscreens I've tried, but it's hard to stray from the orange cap make p:rem (chemical filters and all) because its just so, so good! ;)

It's so nice to see you back! Really glad that things are better for you. (:

And great review! Just recently I was looking into low pH foam cleansers that are cream type, because I feel like gel types clean more strongly (?? is this a thing? or maybe it's just the cleansers I've tried hmm) and I prefer a gentler cleanse. I do have the Innisfree 5.5 blueberry cleanser that fits the bill for me except... that elusive Fun Factor... so always up for something new :')Discovered this product, and even though it's only maaarginally more exciting, I just wanted a change LOL. The only thing was that there were no reviews at all on this and I usually never buy stuff blind so I was like welp ok back to searching for other cleansers then. But then this pops up like YOU CALLED??? HELLO!!! So you returning + with this product especially made me unnecessarily excited HAHAHA sorry for such a long yet lame story. Been a silent follower / reader for a while now but idk this just made me want to comment haha.

"The only thing was that there were no reviews at all on this and I usually never buy stuff blind so I was like welp ok back to searching for other cleansers then."

You know, that's pretty much the reason that bloggers do what they do (at least for me) because this is what it's all about. That, and sharing knowledge that we learn, whether it's through research or just the hard way on our faces. :)

You have me feeling all warm and fuzzy on this chilly winter day. <3 I hope it works for you, keep me posted!

A gentle cleanser like P:rem would be ideal for the winter. My skin already takes a beating when I go outside. I would love to see more products from this brand, maybe in their press kit examples. If a product smells nice, it definitely has my attention.

As I said on Insta, I'm glad you're back! My go-to cleanser is actually one you found boring (Hada Labo Gokyujun whatsits) because your review made it sound like exactly what I wanted, but hey.... welcome back! Yay!

Ahh I'm so happy to see you posting again! I read your blog RELIGIOUSLY and have read so many of your posts several times over lol. Like I seriously credit you for my whole skincare routine -- every time I consider buying a new product, I first come to check if you've written anything about it haha.

But anyway this is a great review! I always appreciate a good analysis of a cleanser's foaming capabilities so the pictures were very much appreciated. I actually JUST bought the Cosrx low ph good morning cleanser so I'm not in the market for a cleanser right now but I'll keep this one in the back of my mind!

I'm new to your blog and if you vanished because of the puppy...I TOTALLY UNDERSTAND.

Question - if you use a low pH cleanser or one with a proper pH of 5.5, do you still need a pH balancing toner? Or should you just use a pH balancing toner regardless? Why do moisturizing toners exist, then? WHICH ONE DO I USE D:

It really depends on your skin ;) There's no real need for a low pH toner after a low pH cleanser, unless you want to use it to boost the effectiveness of a weak active. Moisturizing toners are just another type of hydrator to nourish your skin, so feel free to add, layer, or skip them!